SERMON TITLE: Faith in Exile
TEXT: Daniel 3:1-30 (NLT)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 5-12-24
Watch the sermon here
Take notes here
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — are joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
After a two week break — we’re returning to our series in the book of Daniel today — where we’re seeing what it means to live in exile. We’ve got an entire chapter to work our way through — so let’s begin by reading our text. We’re in Daniel chapter three — beginning in verse one.
Daniel 3:1–30 (NLT)
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3 So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. 6 Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” 7 So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8 But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! 10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. 11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.” 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 19 Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. 22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames. 24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied. 25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.
For some of us — this is a familiar story from the book of Daniel — though I realize this may be a new story for others among us. A few years ago — during our Finding Jesus series — this is the passage I used to help us find Jesus in the book of Daniel.And — if I’m being honest with you — it’s quite the challenge to preach a section of the Bible I’ve previously preached. I try to avoid doing so as much as possible — the Bible’s a big book after all — there’s lots to preach. But — as I began writing this sermon — what I wondered most was if I’d end up writing the same sermon I preached years ago?
Thankfully — due to the Spirit’s help — approaching this chapter through the lens of exile helped me to write a second sermon — one different from our last time in this chapter. For — with the interpretive lens of living in exile — today we’ll see that: Biblical faith is not confidence in particular outcomes; it is confidence in our sovereign God. Biblical faith is not confidence in particular outcomes; it’s confidence in our sovereign God.
We find this idea in the key verses of our chapter — verses seventeen and eighteen — where we read the words of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego…
Daniel 3:17–18 (NLT)
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
Biblical faith is not confidence in particular outcomes; it’s confidence in your sovereign God. Now — you may be with us today and not be a Christian. You may think that what Christian’s call faith is something similar to a superstition. “Religious people have faith — non-religious people have knowledge” is a common view in our culture today. But — I’d like to suggest that all of us — Christian or not — religious or not — all of us are people of faith and knowledge. In fact, I’d go so far to say that it’s impossible for you to not be a person of faith. As A.W. Tozer said, “Every man lives by faith, the non-believer as well as the [Christian]; the one by faith in natural laws and the other by faith in God.”
You see, the word faith means to trust. So whatever you trust in is what you have faith in. Some trust in natural laws — others trust in God — as Tozer suggests — but these aren’t the only options. Some trust in science. Others in psychics. Many have faith in themselves. Others have faith in a political ideology. You see — we can’t help but be people of faith. But what we can do — and this would promote some civility in our country — is recognize that we’re all people of faith — where we differ is what we’ve put our faith in.
So why does any of this matter? Currently — in our country — and some may argue that this has always been an issue for us — but currently there’s a cultural enforcement of faith. In the past, Christianity was the dominant faith in our country and — if you weren’t a Christian — the cultural expectations made it difficult for you to not live accordingly. It didn’t mean you were forced to be a Christian — or to believe what Christians believed — but — the overall culture of the US leaned Christian. For example, businesses were closed on Sundays — and there wasn’t much to do on Sunday if you weren’t part of a Christian church.
Today — however — in this era of post-Christendom — there are different faiths that are vying for dominance in our country — and they’re being enforced by culture. If we keep Sundays as our example, many people now have to work on Sundays because businesses are open making many have to choose between worship or work — worship of the almighty dollar is one of the faiths of our land. School sports now practice or play games on Sundays forcing many parents and students to choose between church activities and sports activities — another religion of this land. We could highlight the religion of busyness — or the faith of “your life is yours to live” — or the faith of “there is no God.” Sometimes these faiths join forces — there can be power in numbers — and sometimes they’re in competition with each other — which we’re experiencing in our country.
Now there are many examples beyond Sunday — I don’t need to list them — you experience them on a daily basis — but know that this is a characteristic of this land of exile — forced religious conformity — and we see this in our text from Daniel. Let me show you — we’re back in verse one of chapter three.
Daniel 3:1–7 (NLT)
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3 So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. 6 Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” 7 So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
The forced religious conformity is pretty obvious in our verses. When the musical instruments were played — everyone had to bow down and worship the gold statue of the king. Because — if you didn’t — to the furnace you go. There are no exceptions. You obey or you die — that’s called forced conformity to the extreme.
Now — it’s been a few weeks since we’ve been in the book of Daniel — so let me remind you of what we encountered last time we were in the book. King Nebuchadnezzar had a bad night’s sleep because of a dream that had kept him up all night. And the king made a decree stating that — not only must someone interpret his dream for him — they must also tell him what he had dreamt or a lot of people were going to die — including Daniel and his friends.
In response to this unreasonable demand of the king, Daniel and his friends prayed to God asking him to be merciful to them. And God was merciful. He revealed the king’s dream and its interpretation to Daniel.
Now — do you remember the dream and its interpretation? The dream was of a statue, right? And the statue represented four different kingdoms — including Babylon led by king Nebuchadnezzar. But do you remember how Nebuchadnezzar was depicted in the statue? As a head of gold, right?
Well look at what’s going on in our verses. Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue should immediately make us think of his dream — but now — it’s not just the head — the entire statue is made of gold. So what is the king doing?
Though I can’t say with certainty — we’re talking about motives here, after all — it appears that Nebuchadnezzar is trying to defy what’s been revealed to him in the dream. It’s like Nebuchadnezzar is doing everything within his power to keep the dream from coming true. Back to his dream.
In his dream — Nebuchadnezzar — representing the nation of Babylon — was the gold head. The rest of the statue represented other nations that would rise up and come to power after him. So — in building a statue made entirely of gold — it’s as if Nebuchadnezzar is saying, “The God of the Hebrews thinks my kingdom will come to an end. Just watch this. There will be no end to my kingdom.” For — an entirely golden statue communicates — Babylon, Babylon, Babylon — Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar. Meaning there will be no other nations to come after him — his kingdom and rule will be forever — this is what’s going on with Nebuchadnezzar building the gold statue and forcing everyone to bow down and worship his image or be thrown into a furnace.
Now — in our land of exile — throwing people into a blazing furnace — just because they don’t conform to cultural expectations — is still off limits. But this doesn’t mean the pressure to conform isn’t real and that there aren’t consequences for non-conformity.
Imagine it’s mid-October — and the office email reminds everyone of the option to wear purple to show support for LGBT+ Spirit Day. Well — here’s the question: Is it really an option? Meaning — if someone doesn’t wear purple — what does that mean in our land of exile? Why — as a pastor — have I had folks tell me it’s easier to take a vacation day than it is to show up not wearing purple?
Or — it’s a Sunday in the fall — and your favorite NFL team is playing and the national anthem begins — “Are we going there Josh? Yeah, we’re going there.” And someone refuses to stand — could be a player, a coach, someone in the stands — it doesn’t matter. Them not standing up — does that mean they hate America? Madonna called out a fan for not standing at her concert only to find out the woman was in a wheelchair — that’s embarrassing! It’s pretty easy to make a bad judgment call about someone else’s intentions — that’s all I’m suggesting. And — though you may think that everyone should wear purple or that everyone should stand for the national anthem — that doesn’t mean everyone has to, right?
Now the reason why these two examples can get our blood boiling is because they represent conflicting religions in our country. Two ideologies — of many — that are in conflict with one another. Both demand forced conformity — yet — my guess is that the two examples upset you for very different reasons. One offended you because you feel a pressure to conform to it — and you disagree with it — and the other example offended you because — whether you can admit it or not — you do want people to be forced to behave in that way.
Yet God’s people are required to be different — because our faith can’t be mixed with other religions. Christianity plus a little political ideology or gender ideology — or fill in the blank with all other ideologies — Christianity plus anything else results in something other than faith in Jesus Christ. You may still call it Christianity — but that doesn’t mean that Jesus agrees with you. And — just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — in this land of exile we’re faced with our own versions of golden statues that society expects everyone to bow down to.
Now — I think one can safely assume that many Jews in Babylon did bow down to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar. I’m not suggesting that our three guys were the only faithful Jews in Babylon — Daniel seems to have been away when all of this was happening — but we’d be naive to think that many Jews didn’t accommodate to the pressure to conform. And I’m sure they justified and rationalized as they bowed down to worship the statue. “I still believe in Yahweh. I mean, it’s not like he’d want me to be so committed that I’m thrown into a furnace because of my faith in him or anything?”
Which leads us back to our big idea and our definition of faith: Biblical faith is not confidence in particular outcomes; it’s confidence in our sovereign God. Biblical faith means we trust in our God regardless of what we may experience due to our commitment to him. We see this as we continue in our verses — we’re in verse eight.
Daniel 3:8–23 (NLT)
8 But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! 10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. 11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.” 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 19 Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. 22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a lot to lose. They were no lowly exiles living in this foreign land — they’d risen to positions of power. Yet — they refused to allow their powerful positions to keep them from being faithful to their God.
Now — if you’re following their story — they just came out of a situation where they were going to be killed due to the unreasonable demands of Nebuchadnezzar. So it’d be understandable to think their troubles would be all over after they prayed to God to be merciful — God revealing the king’s dream — resulting in them escaping from death. But — here we are again — and more trouble has come their way.
Let this be a reminder to those of us who are following Jesus in this land of exile: viewing troubles, difficulties, and challenges in life — to mean that our faith is inadequate — is a prescription for hopelessness, despair, and defeat. This is why it’s important for us to remember that biblical faith is not having confidence in particular outcomes; it’s confidence in our sovereign God. Where we trust that he’s in control of all things — even the dreams and unreasonable demands of kings — and what will happen to us if we refuse to conform to the expectations of this land of exile.
Notice how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego respond to the king — who’s obviously full of rage and anger at this point. They tell the king, “We don’t have to defend ourselves.” This reminds me of how Jesus was silent before his accusers — he had no need to defend himself. How is this possible — to live without a need to defend oneself? It’s possible by having confidence in your sovereign God.
“We don’t have to defend ourselves, O king. If we’re thrown into the furnace, our God is able to save us — for his power is greater than yours.” I bet believing this would give you some confidence. Not arrogance — or pride — but confidence because of who your God is. But I know what you’re thinking. It’s their next words that are troubling because — “You see, Josh. If I knew that I could show up to work without wearing purple and that God would protect me from backlash then — no problem — I’d do it. But it’s their next words, Josh, that make this so hard.”
“But even if God doesn’t save us — we want to make it clear — that no matter the consequences — we won’t conform. We’ll never worship your statue — even if it means we die.” And that’s the stuff for super Christians, right? God doesn’t expect this of ordinary Christians — or does he? Let me ask this another way. Does the God you believe in accept halfhearted devotion to him? Is your God OK with you bowing down to this land of exile’s golden statues?
Now a different question: Does the God of the Bible accept halfhearted devotion? And know that there’s a difference between halfhearted devotion and full devotion that’s imperfect. Is the God of Scripture OK with us bowing down to the golden statues of this land of exile?
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul described some in his days this way.
Romans 10:2 (NLT)
2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal.
Paul was writing about his fellow Israelites who had rejected Christ. But do you think he would’ve said these same words about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? “You know, those guys were really enthusiastic about God, but they were misguided when they let their enthusiasm get them thrown into a furnace.” I don’t think there’s any way Paul would’ve said this about them! But what would Paul say about us? What would Paul say about your enthusiasm for God even when the potential consequences for being faithful terrify you?
One tactic of our enemy — the devil — is to get us to believe lies. One of the most common lies he’s gotten us to believe — especially as Christians here in the US — is that life is supposed to be easy. That following Jesus means everything’s going to turn out wonderful for you today, and tomorrow, and all the days after that. And — in believing this lie — we’re rattled when life doesn’t live up to our expectations — we wonder why things have gone wrong. But — what’s worse — is how believing this lie results in us conforming to the expectations of this land of exile. For — when we know or assume that taking a stand will result in a metaphorical fiery furnace — well “of course that’s not what God would want me to do. That’s not easy. That’s not a wonderful today setting up a wonderful tomorrow setting up a wonderful future.”
You see — and if you’re not a Christian — forewarning that this is what it means to follow Jesus — the question these verses force God’s people to face is this: Am I willing to be thrown into the fire for my God? This is a question you have to prepare for. This isn’t a question you’re certain to pass without any preparation. This is why it’s so easy to conform — to justify unfaithful behavior — because it’s easier to conform to culture than it is to be committed to our God who is always with us — even when we’re thrown in the furnace.
We’re in verse twenty-four.
Daniel 3:24–30 (NLT)
24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied. 25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.
Now before you get too excited for Nebuchadnezzar, think back to what you learned about him based on his response to the dream and Daniel’s interpretation of it. The king responded with what sounded like belief in God.
Daniel 2:47 (NLT)
47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.”
This statement came before his golden statue and him forcing people to conform or be thrown into the fire. Based on how he’s been acting in our chapter — I think it’s safe to say that Nebuchadnezzar didn’t really believe in Daniel’s God at the end of chapter two.
Now — in verse twenty-eight of our chapter — we see something that again looks like belief. But look closely at the king’s words.
Daniel 3:28 (NLT)
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Does the king say “Praise to my God?” No. He says, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.” Of them — he says, “They were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” Not his God — their God.
Three men are thrown in — but four are in the furnace. And — now — I hope you’ll forgive me if I repeat myself a bit from the last time I preached this passage.
The fourth man is described by language indicating that he’s a spiritual being — to quote Nebuchadnezzar, “the fourth [man] looks like a god!” And I can’t help but think, “Oh Nebuchadnezzar. This man doesn’t just look like a god — he is God.” For God had made this promise to his people.
Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)
2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
This fourth man in the furnace is what theologians call a theophany. A theophany is a “manifestation of God.” It could be a person, an angel, or a bush that’s on fire but doesn’t burn up — but these all “signify the presence and glory of God.” And here — in the furnace — this fourth man signifies the presence and glory of God with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they’re thrown into a fire that doesn't consume them — for their God is present with them. And the promise to us — God’s people today — is that he is present with us — even in the fire — and he will save us.
The name Jesus means “God saves.” What Jesus came to accomplish —was the salvation — or the rescue — of his people. Jesus is also known by another name — Immanuel — which means “God with us.” And — what this theophany in the furnace is meant to remind us is that — Jesus — our Savior — is Immanuel — our God who is always with us — in this land of exile.
Do you want to know the secret to being faithful in this land of exile? Only people who really know who Jesus is are willing to get thrown into the fire for what they believe. And any time we give in and conform to culture — and the faiths and religions it wants us to bow down to — we reveal that we’ve believed another lie from our enemy: that Jesus isn’t who he says he is in his Word. For the Jesus of Scripture is the God who’s promised to always be with his people — even in the fire. He’s the God who’s promised to always be faithful to us — even when we’re unfaithful to him — because being faithful is who he is. And when we reject the devil’s lie and believe God’s truth — no furnace will cause us to be unfaithful — even when obeying him leads to things not turning out the way we want them to. For faith — as one pastor has said, “has the assurance to say, ‘I know my God is able to deliver me.’ [It has] the confidence to say, ‘I believe that my God will deliver me.’ And [it has] the submission to say, ‘But even if he doesn’t — I will still trust him.’”
If you believe in Jesus — know that he is with you — always. Put your trust in him and not in particular outcomes. This is what it means to be a man or woman of faith. This is the only way to live in this land of exile without bowing down to its golden statues. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your presence in our lives. For being in control of all things — even tyrant kings who seem to go from bad to worse to beyond unreasonable. Thank you that not one king has ever been outside of your power and control.
Holy Spirit, you’ve been sent to comfort your people — and in this land of exile we’re desperate for your comfort. A comfort where we leave our defense and rescue in your hands — which means this is a comfort that comes by trusting in you and not in ourselves.
Jesus, for anyone going through a fiery furnace experience — I ask that you would assure them of your presence. Often — when life is hard — we judge you to be absent, uncaring, maybe even non-existent. Please forgive us for not trusting in your promise to never leave us. You’re more faithful to us than we are to you — it’s not even a comparison. Forgive us for so often viewing our faithfulness to you as greater than your faithfulness to us. Give us eyes to see how faithful you are to us — for then we’ll live with a confidence that leads to our faithfulness in all circumstances — no matter the outcome. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.
As you face pressures to conform — may you faithfully stand — knowing that your Savior is there with you. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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